Sounds Like Madness
by popgum99
Summary: Kidnapping. Illusion. Maybe even death, along with those other tenebrious things. All of this can be seen as normal in another world, but in reality, it all sounds like madness. Formerly called 'Those Moments Between Us'. Written with Echos in my Head, Amethyst3232 and Whateva876. T for some language, and violence. May also include disturbing content.
1. Prologue: Sounds Like Madness

_Sounds Like Madness  
>By: Popgum99, Echos in my Head, Amethyst3232 and Whateva876<em>

Kidnapping. Illusion. Maybe even death, along with those other tenebrious things. All of this can be seen as normal in another world, but in reality, it all sounds like madness.

An enemy. An enemy, with a heart black as ink, and an ambition the size of the universe. An enemy, that is willing to slowly kill and spill the blood of the innocent, and ones who are thought to be a threat. All of this can be seen as normal in another world, but in reality, it all sounds like madness.

Victims. Victims who are spared by the enemy, but hopeless and lost. Scarred, both physically and mentally, with no idea where to go. Left in the vast emptiness, left to rot. All of this can be seen as normal in another world, but in reality, it all sounds like madness.

Lost friendships. Broken hearts. Rusted chains. A sudden desire to eliminate every single ally out of paranoia. All of this can be seen as normal in another world, but in reality, it all sounds like madness.


	2. Kidnaps

**So, so SORRY! I became a lazyass, and I had a big bad case of Writer's Block! D: Forgive me!**

**Feel free to attack the life-size Popgum dummy. There's free weapons if you don't have one.**

Strategy

"Oh yes, my plan is complete!" cackled a feminine voice. The woman never revealed herself, as she said it was logic. The only thing known is that she wore a pitch black cloak, so black, that her outlines disappear. The cloak so long, when she walks, it's as if she was gliding. It's as if, that the cloak itself is has woven her strength, power and desire into the cloak, the same matter that souls were woven into Hades' or Pluto's clothes.

"But master, you cannot do the plan. You will need different kinds of instruments. Your plan simply lacks strategy and logic-" A male's voice reasoned.

"Shut your mouth, Silence. You're just like your no-good, irritable clone, Echo." Snapped the Woman. "We just need some more time, apprentice. We just need some more time." As the Woman said that, she pulled a golden rod out of a pocket.

"What is that, Master? I am your apprentice, and you know I hate not knowing." Whispered the boy.

"This is our key to the door. The only way for the plan to work, Silence."

oOo

It was a cool, Summer night. Small Navy blue clouds floated high in the sky. Fruitful trees swayed like dancers. Gentle breezes were blowing and leaves were rustling in the wind. The moon's pale face lit up the periwinkle sky.

Popgum sighed, wishing life was peaceful. No such thing as war baloney. You know, just live a normal life.

But she can't. She just enjoys the wonderful crazy land of FanFiction, which she can pop in and out with a click of a button.

She took a sip from her glass of sweetened lemon iced tea and sighed. Just for the summer vacation, she decided to take a break and relax a nice farm facing the river.

Oh she didn't plan her Summer Vacation to go complicated.

And deadly.

oOo

(Popgum's POV)

I was sitting in the kitchen, on a high-stool, drumming my fingers on the countertop. It was kinda boring here. Oh if I only won that contest.

There was (somehow) a Canoeing competition, and since I've done this sport for a couple of years, I was pretty sure I was gonna ace it, but then this bitchch came in entered the competition. I nearly won this nice fresh Apple Pie, but then that bitch came in and beat me by a nanosecond.

Oh she didn't deserve that pie. You know what she did? Chucked it in the bin. Didn't even have a nibble!

I grabbed my knife (Yes. Echo gave me one), planning revenge. Oh hell, I'll kill that slut one day. One day.

Suddenly, an indestructible bar of steel closed in my neck. I choked, running out of air. I screamed. I balled my fist and desperately tried to punch the person. THWACK!

"SHIT!" he said. Masculine buff man gets beaten up by tiny girl. He punched me back, with an evil glint in his eyes.

I took this opportunity to tackle him, and he did fall to the floor, groaning. He quickly stood up though, and as I made my way to the oven (I planned to do the Hansel-and-Gretel-Oven trick), he grabbed my hair, took a firm grip on my head, and attempted to bash my head on the counter-top corner.

I quickly grabbed my knife (which was still lying helplessly on the countertop) and attempted to stab him, but I only managed to do a deep cut on his forearm since he was quite nimble. He stared at the crimson blood trickling down his arm. I tried to kick him in the crotch, but I was dizzy, so I pretty much kicked him on his thigh. I panted and stared at him, grabbing my knife, strapping my katana sheath to my back, adjusting smoke bomb and shruriken pouch-belt to my waist and putting my Kunaii in a sheath connected to my pouch-belt.

Punk. Strangely, he reminded me of Echo. The resemblance is _so _significant, that you would've thought they were identical twins. He was tall, messy brunette hair, had grey eyes, and his face is a bit more angular and… Masculine. Yep. He was most likely the masculine form of Echo.

I grabbed my phone to call the 'Police' (they're actually a group who are trapped in a cage since they brutally hurt anyone they meet. Great place for beating up criminals.). Doot, doot.

"YA!"

I screamed as he blacked me out.

oOo

When I woke up, I was in this dark, black room.

Fyora, every single plot character was here. Hanso looked like he passed out from a hangover. Brynn was drooling. Roxton was biting his arm. Everyone was passed out. Echo was there, Ame was there and Whateva was there. All knocked out.

Damn fucking shit, where the heck am I?


	3. Escape

Voices, mumbling and shrieking. That's strange... Why would there be people in my room?

I'm uncovered. Strange thing number two... Where's my blanket? I feel around for it, but all I feel is floor.

Wait, what?

Somehow, when I open my eyes, I'm up immediately, instead of remaining tired for the next two or more hours like I normally do. I am not in my room. I am in some dark place with other people.

...Shit. I hate being in crowds.

Everything's still coming into focus, but what I become aware of next is the fact that I'm wearing a black T-shirt and camouflage pants. Oh... I get it now... Somehow, after falling asleep, I became Echo. Without going online. Creepy...

I'm barefoot, I notice. I'm normally fine with that, but being in this room with Fyora-knows-what on the ground, I wish I had my boots with me right now. But there's something missing. I put my arm over my right shoulder, and my rifle is gone. My stomach ties itself into a knot, and I check both shoulders. It's gone. My rifle, my sense of security and confidence, is missing.

This is so... different. I'm Echo, but I'm also myself. I'll be able to experience this like never before! I'll have all the sensory experience of being Echo, while having my Earth-self observe everything.

"Echo?" I hear one voice, and then it turns into many other voices all saying my name. It's overwhelming, and I forget who I'm supposed to be for a moment and cover my ears.

My biggest problem right now is that I'm not thinking like Echo. I'm thinking like my Earth self. I have to remind myself of who I am right now, at this moment.

My name is Echos in my head, or Echo S. Inmyhead. My name, Echo, has a meaning that I hold close to myself. I am a female. My age is undefined, usually, but here... It looks like I'm approximately eighteen years old. I try to age up, but nothing changes. I try to age down, and get the same result. I'm stuck, for some reason. Not being able to age or youth will be a challenge for me. Not to mention it's creepy as fuck.

I am right handed. I think rifles are fun. My brain has a tendency to wander in some situations, making it a little unpredictable, but my Earth self seems to have bonded with Echo, so my philosophical self is also mixed in. I chew on both sides of my mouth, but primarily on the right side. I love sugar and I dislike bitterness... mostly.

Without my rifle across my back, I feel more like my Earth self than I should. I need to keep myself in character. The last thing anyone here needs is an OOC Echo. It shouldn't be too hard. Just put every damn thing in my mind into words and actions, with a lot of extra energy. Basically, be what I want to be.

It'll be an interesting experience, being myself and Echo at the same time. Maybe it'll be good for me.

I take my hands away from my ears, prepared to be Echo, just as a fist slams into my jaw. It hurts, but it's nothing I can't handle. "What the fuck?" I spit, cupping my face.

"See? I told you it'd work," says a voice. I look up, and I see three other girls. Immediately I figure out who these people must be. The one closest to me, her hand still in a fist, has to be Whateva. Who else would punch me randomly?

Behind her is another girl who looks like she's holding a light in her palm, like she conjured it up. Like magic. And the only one of us with that type of magic is Ame.

So that leaves the last girl as Popgum. Whateva was addressing her after she punched me.

In a moment of shock, I realise that this is the first time I'm legitimately seeing these people. Sure, I'd made up some image of them in my head, and Echo was the one to see them. But now, being both me and Echo, I am seeing them, too.

"Where the hell are we?" I ask.

"We don't know," Popgum replies. "All I remember was being attacked, and then waking up in this room. Then Ame woke up, and then Whateva, and some of the others-"

"Others?"

Ame pointedly shines her magic upon all the walls, and my jaw almost drops, before I catch myself. Echo doesn't jaw-drop. Much.

Plot characters. All of them. One of each, as if all of our separate versions of them were fused into one. I see Hanso, Jazan, Clara, Hannah... All of them. Some of them are knocked out, others are awake like us.

Then I see the pets. I see Shadow, Fire and Will, all passed out. I see Whateva's many pets, Ame's few pets along with her OCs, and Popgum's pets, too. All in the same room. My discomfort around crowds definitely doesn't help here.

I stand up, and something falls down onto the floor. One black notebook. The Death Note. So that's here too?

Sure enough, as Ame's light moves on, I see some human figures. All the characters I know and respect in some way are there too, also knocked out.

"What's with everyone being out cold?" I wonder aloud. Another question: If I have the notebook, then where the hell is Ryuk? I don't see the giant winged death god anywhere...

"Maybe you should tell us," Whateva says to me. I stare blankly back. I'm missing something here...

"Before we were taken here," Popgum explains, "I was attacked by some guy."

"Some guy," Whateva adds on, "who looked a fuckload like you." Wait, what?

"Okay... But in case you haven't noticed, I'm a girl," I point out.

"Trust me, we know," Whateva mutters dryly, and despite myself, I grin. I like watching people's reactions to random things that I do, which is probably why I do random things.

"But whoever he was," Popgum presses on, "he knocked me out and took me here. It happened to Whateva too."

"Oh great. Some dude lookalike brought us all here?" In reality, I'm very disturbed by this.

But Ame shakes her head. "It didn't happen to me," she says. "I just woke up here." That's a relief. I'm not the only one.

Right then, several plot characters and pets woke up, and they all began crying out in surprise and demanding explanations all at the same time. At once, many of the others tried to calm them all down and explain, and that just made the noise double. It's too loud.

I reach up for my rifle to fire a warning shot, until I remember that it's no longer there. I feel around for my knife, and that's missing as well. My airhorn is gone, and my explosives, and it looks like I can't randomly obtain frying pans either.

"Holy shit!" I yell. My weapons are gone. All of them. I. Have. No. Weapons. This is bad. Having increased violent urges, having weapons was one way that I could control them better. Throwing a knife at a wall is always better than getting someone hurt.

"Echo?" I know that voice. It's Shadow.

"Shad?" I look around for her, but it's difficult to see her in the darkness.

"I told you not to call me that," she says irritably. Then she calms down and asks, "What's wrong?"

"The weapons are gone!" I tell her frantically. I really am panicking. I'm not used to being unarmed, and I'm feeling vulnerable because of that.

"I know," she says sadly. "My rocket grenade-"

"Your launcher is missing too?" I practically scream. The good news was that it made some people shut up.

The bad news was that it woke up more people.

As the noise got louder, Fire and Will made their way over to us. Fire locked Shadow and me into a panic hug, which I struggled out of. Fire and Will's weapons were gone too.

We're fucked.

But what really bothers me right now is Will. She looks tired and dizzy, and that's even more disturbing than the weapons being gone.

You see, part of Will defying logic is that she only sleeps for five hours exactly. She falls asleep randomly at some point during the night, sleeps five hours exactly, and then wakes up as if nothing happened. As if five hours of her life had just disappeared. Sometimes she falls asleep in the middle of a conversation, then continues it from exactly when it ended five hours later.

Will is never tired. Falling asleep never happens slowly, it's sudden and strange. It defies logic, so we got used to it.

Fire huddles us closely and whispers, "Will's acting strange. Like, she's normal now. She can't defy logic anymore."

What the hell is going on here? What is this insane place where weapons disappear, and logic is mandatory?

Everyone is staring at me. I said that out loud, didn't I?

"Where the fuck is my gun?" I hear a man yell. Looks like Mello woke up. I'll let the others deal with him.

Ame walk over and tells me that her magic is limited as well. She used to be able to do all sorts of spells and enchantments, but now just creating the light in her palm is a challenge.

Lahetta decides to join in on our conversation and angrily announces that her Lahetta Magic is gone too.

As everyone wakes up and the volume in the room comes to an all time high, we come to this conclusion: we are horribly weakened. Powers are gone, weapons are gone... Even my ability to age is gone. I've tried several more times, but it looks like I'm stuck at eighteen.

Whoever managed to take us hostage did a damn good job of it. Somehow, this person or group of people managed to take us all from our respective dimensions, lock us all up in the same room and make us vulnerable. The worst part is, there's no door, no windows, no means of escape. And there is no food, and no way to get food.

Of course, after we figure this out, the majority of us start panicking and running around.

Some, like Shadow, Cloud, Sandy, the Ogrin and L remain calm. Others, like Whateva, Belle, Mello, Jazan and I are particularly destructive and vocal. But we need to panic. We need to get all of this frantic energy out of our systems.

I, for one, calm down unusually fast, but I blame it on the noise level. It's really too loud for me.

I sit down against a wall, and watch the mass hysteria. In a cruel sort of way, it's kinda funny, but I've been known to laugh at unfortunate situations, even if I'm a part of it. Some people are fighting each other, and some are pulling each other into panic hugs, like Fire. Some are completely unfazed, or shocked to the point of being stunned and unresponsive.

It's even worse to think about when you realise that many of the people here are or have been murderers.

Speaking of which, BB approaches me. He looks neutral, but his eyes look scared. Not only that, but they look almost faded.

"B? You okay?" I yell over the sounds and shrieks.

He looks over at me. His eyes trail to the top of my head, but they don't focus. He holds out a hand in front of him and examines it.

"What are you looking at?" I ask.

"Colour," he replies. For a moment, I'm confused. BB can't see much colour, just black, white, grey and red. That's what happens when you obtain the eyes, like he did. Then I understand: looking at colours, his glance at the top of my head where my name and lifespan should be, but not focusing... BB has normal eyes now. Even that has been taken away.

I pull out the notebook. I come to the conclusion that, given the circumstances, it's most likely useless. If whatever caused us to lose all our powers, including BB's eyes, then it's probable that the powers of a god of death are gone. It would make sense, since Ryuk is nowhere to be found. If that is the case, then if I write the name of any person in the notebook, they won't die.

I hope to Fyora we never come to a point where we need to kill someone. Without any means of killing, our only option is hand to hand combat. Then again, if we can't even leave this place, even that situation is unlikely.

"Wait!" Someone screams out. Krystal is leaning against a wall, pushing at it. A small crack is forming.

Light walks over and examines it. He stand up and announces, "It's a weak spot."

This is music to my ears. I don't have to be trapped in this one room with panicking people!

Light and Krystal start slamming their shoulders into the wall, creating more cracks. More and more people join in, including me. Elva starts leading us by counting.

"One! Two! Three!" Slam.

"Again! One! Two! Three!" Another slam.

Over and over we all weaken the wall. Others sit back and watch, because there's only so much room and the weak spot is only so big. But finally, Bruno orders us all to move. We comply, and the massive Gelert runs into the wall.

There's a crumbling sound, a creak, and then the weak spot disintegrates into powder. Several of us run for the exit at once, crowding together, shoving each other away and getting into more fights. But eventually, we all manage to leave the cramped, dark room.

We find, to our dismay, another room, instead of turning up outside like we'd hoped. This room is better lighted, however, and there are doors. Many doors. Doors everywhere.

The suspense of the choice is killing me. Damn indecisiveness...

Popgum steps on a floorboard and it creaks loudly. She looks over at Brynn and they both lift it up. Underneath the floorboard, in a little space, are two daggers and two knives.

There are a few cries of relief, and the weapons are identified as Will and Hanso's daggers, and Popgum and Whateva's knives. The majority of us are still defenseless.

We make an examination of the entire room from top to bottom. There's nothing more, only that one floorboard held anything.

Tomos looks around at all the doors. "Well, there's only one thing to do now. Split up and look around."

Despite everything, I have a feeling that I might enjoy this little adventure of ours.

oOo

**A brand new chappie written by Echo S. Inmyhead. :D Enjoyed it? Yes? No? CC for Echo? Type it all down at the shiny blue button right below this message. TTFN.**

**-Popgum**


	4. The Library

There was a moment where everyone stood still, before almost everyone rushed for one of the doors on another. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping it would keep me from being knocked over. You have to remember that I'm much smaller than most people, as well as younger. Gilly, well I guess she's around my age. But she has a habit for opening random doors and exploring creepy places. It's like there's a sign with her name on it taped to ever single haunted castle or scary cave. Don't get me wrong; I want to be an explorer, but I much prefer… Well, Moltara was pretty cool! And I found it, all by myself! Sure, Uncle Roxton and Clara helped a little, but it was mostly me. I don't mean to brag, but it was.

I heard a voice I THINK might've been Whateva's shouting. I say think because, with my eyes squeezed shut, I couldn't exactly see her. Either way, I'm not going to repeat what she said. There are too many grown-ups in this room, and I know much worst words but this one is one of the worstest.

There was a hush soon after that. I warily opened one eye (Warily's a cool word. I learnt it from Clara just the other day.) and seeing the majority of the crowd was gone, I opened the other one. I looked around, spun a complete circle on the spot, but couldn't see Clara or Roxton anywhere. Uh oh!

I panicked and, in my panic, I ran. I wasn't looking where, I just ran blindly. I stopped, realising shortly afterward that I'd only ran a few steps. Duh! Silly Jordie!

I looked around. I mean, it looked like every single one of use was here. There had to be someone I knew. I caught sight of girl, you know, the sort who aren't Neopets. They look like… Uh… Faeries without wings! Yeah, well I saw her and headed over. I stopped a few paces away. She looked away from the corner she'd been staring at and over to me.

"Ame?" I asked, unsure. "What are you doing here?"

"I have no idea." She replied, shaking her head. "What are you doing off on your own?"

"I lost Clara. And Uncle Roxton." I said, looking at my toes. My mummy always said that getting lost was no fun, and I was honestly starting to see why.

"Lousy excuse for a guardian." I heard Ame mutter, no doubt referring to my uncle. She looked up at me and smiled, and I felt as if she was saying 'do not tell anyone I said that! Pretend you never heard it!'.

"Can you help me?" I asked her.

"Come on," She said after giving it some thought, holding out a hand. "Let's see if we can find Clara."

We looked around the near-empty room, all four walls covered in doors. But we couldn't see Clara. In fact, we saw no-one.

Until Ame spotted someone in the corner.

"Look," She said. "Maybe they know." And before I could say anything, she was dragging me to the corner.

Hanso was talking with Puddles in the corner. Now, I've never really had a conversation with Hanso, but I've had several with Jazan. Jazan said that Hanso was 'not the most trusting', but a good guy. Puddles, on the other hand… I'd say we're… Uh… Frenemies? Yes, that's definitely the right word. We sometimes get on, sometimes want to kill each-other, but mostly just tolerate each other. Tolerate's a cool word too, isn't it?

Not trusting or not, Hanso looked quite relieved when me and Ame showed up, because Puddles stopped talking.

"Puddles, stop annoying the poor guy." Ame scolded. Puddles glared at her.

"I am not annoying him!" Puddles insisted. "I am merely inquiring as to the details of our current predicament." She may have well been speaking Tyranian; I didn't have a clue what she meant! I looked to Ame, hoping she'd give me a translation. She didn't.

"No," Hanso said, looking at Ame. "She's definitely annoying me."

"Thanks a bunch." Puddles muttered. You know, I think she was being sarcastic.

"Look," Ame said. "We're looking for Clara. Do you know which door she went through."

"Oh, that one." Hanso said, pointing at a blue door across the room from us. At the same time, Puddles said 'that one', pointing to a door on the wall to our left. Ame rolled her eyes.

"Truck loads of help, you were." I heard her mutter. She looked back up to Hanso and Puddles

"What?" Puddles snapped.

"Can you help us?" Ame asked. "We could split up: two of us search the door down there, two of us the one on the left."

"Alright," Hanso agreed. "So long as I don't have to go with her." He tilted his head toward the little gelert to his side. Puddles folded her arms and glared.

"Oh, charming." She stated. Again, I think she was probably being sarcastic, looking back on it.

"Alright?" Hanso asked.

"Fine," Puddles said loudly, deadly serious. "If he gets to say he doesn't want to go with me, I get to have a say too. I don't want to go with Jordie."

"Good." I said firmly. "Because I'm not going with you." Ame appeared to be thinking the situation through. Eventually, she let go of my paw.

"Jordie, go with Hanso." She instructed. "Puddles, we're investigating the left door." She started going.

"Do I have to come?" Puddles whined.

"Yes." Ame snapped without turning round. Puddles scowled at me and Hanso before running after Ame. I looked at Hanso.

"Come on, kid." He said, setting off down the room. I stood where I was, watching him closely. He stopped and looked at me over his shoulder. "It's fine; I don't bite." I wasn't convinced. "Have you been talking to Jazan?"

"Maybe." I replied. Hanso sighed.

"You can't trust half of what that guy says most the time, especially where it concerns yours truly." He grinned. "Look, I promise I won't eat you."

I smiled slightly and took a step forward. Hanso grinned and set off. I followed.

We reached the blue door pretty quickly. Hanso rested a paw on the handle and looked to the side, where I was standing.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Ready." I confirmed. He opened the door and I hurried in. He came in behind and pulled the door shut.  
>The room was dark. Very dark. In fact, it made that room I woke up in look sunshiney. There was a strange, growling sound, like when Roxton goes to sleep and starts snoring. Hey, he does it. As he puts it, 'no-body's perfect'.<br>Something about the noise scared me, but I'm a curious boy.

"Jordie," I heard Hanso whisper. "Are you alright?"

"Yep," I whispered back. "Where are you?"

"I've got my hand on the door handle." He whispered. "In case we have to run." I nodded, not like he could see. It was that dark. There was silence, even the snore-growling stopped. Then Hanso said quietly

"Jordie, did you just touch my leg?"

"No," I asked nervously. "Why?"

I felt something furry brush past. Because I'm considerably shorter that Hanso, I felt in under my chin. It was warm, fuzzy, but very scary.

I screamed.

Two red light appeared suddenly in front of me. It looked like they'd just been opened by a pair of shutters. The lights glared at me.

"Jordie!" Hanso whispered frantically. "Don't. Move."

That was when I realised that the lights were actually not lights at all. They were eyes.

I bit my bottom lip to keep myself from screaming. Eventually, after what seemed like forever, the eyes swivelled and the fuzzy-ness left. I felt something grab my wrist, and whacked it with my opposite paw.

"OW!" I heard someone screech. Hanso. Oopsie.

"Sorry!" I whispered.

"Yeah, yeah, come on." He muttered. I heard the door open and he pulled me out, quickly slamming the door behind us, before the thingy with red eyes inside could come out and get us.

"Unless Clara has red, glowing eyes," Hanso said, dropping my wrist. "I don't think that was her."

"It wasn't." I agreed. "Which room did the others go into?"

"Uh…" Hanso struggled. Luckily, a door opened and out walked Puddles and Ame, with Clara. Clara was clutching a pile of books to her chest like a baby. I glanced at Hanso.

"Go, kid." He said. "I've got someone I should probably go look for too; Fyora knows she'd come after me if I was in trouble."  
>Today, 5:31am<p>

"Good luck." I said. He grinned as I turned and ran over to Puddles, Ame and Clara.

"See?" Puddles bragged. "I told you I knew what room she was in."

"Yes. Yes you did." Ame agreed in a monotone. Something told me Puddles had said this several times since they got Clara. Speaking of Clara…

Her eyes had gone all sparkly, and she actually looked pretty happy.

"They have a library, Jordie." She said brightly. She looked so happy that I actually thought she was going to cry, for a moment.

"Do you think anyone's found the exit yet?" Ame asked, changing the subject. I looked around.

"Nope." I decided.

"I'm going back to the library, if you don't mind." Clara said with a smile, turning and opening the door she'd just been through.

"Take Jordie." Ame said, grabbing her arms. "And for crying out loud, don't lose him again!"

"Alright." Clara agreed. "Come on, Jordie." I headed after her.

As Clara shut the door, I took the time to look around the room. It was big, brightly lit, and had a carpet. Hundreds of bookcases lined it. I caught sight of a disco zafara reading an enormous book, stretched out in a chair like she lived there. How she could live in a library, I don't know.

"Jordie," Clara said. "Go find a good book to read."

"Do I have to?" I complained.

"Yes." Clara said. I frowned. Fyora, we needed to get out of this place! And soon!


	5. Akina

**EDIT: I just edited some words that were wrong. All gone now and correctly replaced by Whateva. :D TTFN –Popgum99**

Akina

**(Whateva's POV)**

Why the hell are there so many doors? I grimaced as I stood in front of yet another one, with Lily, a yellow Xweetok (Don't even ask, I don't know where he came from, or who he is.) and Belle following behind me. I pushed it open.

This room obviously belonged to a young girl, or a blonde teenager (Go stereotypes!), as it was fucking infatuated in pink. "What the n-" Belle started, eyes wide as she took in all the pink.

"Stop swearing!" Lily interrupted. "NO!" Belle snapped.

We walked down a really long hallway which suddenly appeared (Go figure.) until...

"Expressing yourself is healthy for mental development." The yellow Xweetok randomly stated, only to get his jewels kicked (Ouch.) by Belle, as he annoyed her immediately.

"Shut up."

"But-"

Belle snapped his neck, throwing his limp body against a pink wall. Lily gaped at her. "What? He pissed me off." Belle's explanation went unnoticed as a young Japanese (What?) girl, of about 13, walked into the room.

"Um, hi-" I started, then glaring when I was interrupted by the girl.

"Hello. Belle, Whateva, Lilith, Arthur's body." Oh, so his name was Arthur...

"My name is Lily!" Lily protested, obviously disliking her full name.

The girl ignored her. Her eyes turning completely black as her nails grew longer. "HOLY SHIT!" Lily screamed, probably not even noticing that she swore.

I ran towards the door, going a few feet (Which in my defense, I wouldn't have normally done. But I was unarmed!) only for it to have disappeared. Then suddenly I noticed iron crowbars that hung on the walls, at least 14 of them. How did I not see that before? I smiled to myself. "Hey guys, look over there!" I pointed to the iron weapons.

**(Belle's POV)**

I grabbed one of the crowbars off the walls, noticing where Whateva was pointing. The other two followed suit and we all started swinging on the bitch. I was aiming for her face. Apparently that whore had the same idea and almost scratched my Amber-Red eyes with her creepy long nails. Screw formalities, it's war now! Nobody harms my beauty. (No, I'm absolutely not conceited.)

That little whore seemed to have it out for me, as she almost ripped my Black-Red hair out. I'm going to kill her, I didn't fucking care that she looked really young (13, 14 maybe). I swung my weapon right against her side, but that tramp seemed unaffected. Oh yeah, she was pinning Lily down while trying to rip a chunk of her flesh, I guess that's pretty damn distracting.

Whateva screamed, successfully gaining that slut's attention. Lily took the opportunity and bashed her crowbar against that bitch's skull, knocking her off. While Lily and Whateva kept that bitch distracted I looked around for other weapons, because our crowbars were getting dented (Damn whore must have rock hard bones) and frankly really boring. I found an unloaded rifle, shit. And a little girl doll, it had two red braids on the side of its head, a cute blue sleeveless dress, and little blue slippers. After close examination I saw that it had Akina engraved into its ankle, meaning "family bond, bright, autumn" or something like that. Huh, how much money do you wanna bet that Akina is this bitch right here? I picked up the plush doll, threw it up in the air a few times, and then put it back. Hey, I can be polite, you know.

I was brought out of my thoughts by blood splattering on my face, looking up I immediately noticed that one of that tramp's arms was missing, and the end of Lilly's crowbar had blood on it. Damn, that chick has spice.

The Japanese girl screamed, clutching the place where her arm used to be. She tackled Lily to the ground and raised a hand, ready to claw Lily's insides open with her overly long nails. Whateva sprang into action and jumped on her back. The slut screeched and thrashed around, trying to shake her off. Eventually, the bitch pulled a knife out of her dress pocket and aimed for Whateva. She dodged the knife many times, but the slut just wouldn't give up.

The sight angered me. Whateva, trying to stop her impending, unnecessary death. Whateva, she created me. Without her craziness, I would not exist. I would never kill Whateva. Ever. And like Hell if I was just going to let her die.

To put it simply, I was pissed at that Japanese girl, and that's an understatement. I growled. If I couldn't kill that tramp, she would take a serious wound to the heart. If you don't understand what I mean, you definitely will soon.

But first, I was going to help Lily. You see, right now Lily punching that girl's head (I wonder where her weapon went) while Whateva was still dodging that knife. I picked up my crowbar and whacked that slut's head hard, knocking her down on that flat ass of hers. She picked herself up, and while growling, she lunged at Lily, forcefully knocking her down.

Alright, time to take my plan into action. I looked at Lily, and mouthed 'Distract her', she nodded and kept doing so. I went to that little doll I found, and a few seconds later I had a small flame going on it. "Hey, bitch!" The girl turned around and gasped. Apparently that little plush doll was almost completely engulfed in flames.

The girl grimaced like she was in pain, and suddenly she looked just like the doll- Completely engulfed in flames. She looked up at me with her black eyes. I watched with morbid interest as she burned until she was merely ashes. I walked over to her ashes, and kneeled down. "Rest in peace, Akina. You creepy little bitch." I stood up, and that's when I noticed that we were all coated in blood. Wow, I did not even notice. I looked over to Whateva and Lily, they looked horrified. "Well? Let's get out of here."

**(Lily's POV)**

As we walked towards the door that conveniently reappeared, we all looked at each other. "Let's never do that again." Whateva said. We all agreed.

All I can really say is, I NEVER want to go through that... EVER AGAIN. Ever. That was horrible. Hmm, I wonder how we'll explain why we're covered in blood. Eh. And we walked out that door, never planning to ever come back. That was creepy.

I took out a small book that I had in my pocket, and read it as we walked away.

**oOo**

**A very action-packed chapter written by Whateva. :D Yes, Kyanite, it was Ame who wrote last chapter. A very good chapter, that was. :D**

**-Popgum99**


	6. The Oracle

**A/N: This is Popgum. I know this really in hiatus (thank you, me). But then, I became a complete ass. I couldn't access my original version since we got a new computer, and I forgot about this place. -_- Since it's the holidays, it's time to bombard people with updates!**

**CONGRATULATIONS! YOU ARE THE WINNER OF THE COMPETITION! YOU ARE NOW ELIGIBLE TO USE THE 50 TORTURE-POPGUM VOUCHERS! WOOHOO!**

**P.S. By Liana, that's just Eli. Don't worry.**

Chapter 6: The Oracle

I wander around the room of doors hunting for a door to open. One was bright pink, covered in fair feathers and showered with diamonds. One was plain. One was covered with plum velvet and lined with dark wood. One door was even stuck on the ceiling. Krystal, Randal, Liana and Amy followed me.

"Which door?" Krystal asked. I bit my lip. She was right. We can't just open a random door. There were hundreds of doors, and most of them were probably death traps that will tear us into shreds and get fed to a bunch of wild wolves.

Krystal was always the cautious one. Actually, most of the times she's the wuss. Although she's pretty weak, she has her epic moments. Oh, I remember the times when she couldn't go on a roller coaster when it was her 11th birthday, and when she actually managed to pickpocket one of her school friends, and when she broke a pen and Liana was _pretty _angry since it was one of her favourite red pens…

I looked around as my eyes fell on a significant door.

"That one." I said, pointing to a door near the ceiling on our right. It had a cracked marble arch and a worn wooden door. It wasn't exactly what you'd call 'really safe', but it looked pretty cool.

"Well, let's go." Amy said, tying her hair up.

oOo

The door lead us to a dark room. Bookshelves with dusty books were placed on the walls. It smelt of incense, and damp earth. There was a woman in the centre of the room, sitting on a high bronze stool, dressed in a pale grey chiton with a golden belt, and a black cloak embroidered with gold beads. She held a clay dish, and a small piece of laurel in her hand. The woman was inside a large spacious circle, with a few candles making up the edge, and withered flower petals showered on the floor. I could feel Randal tense up behind me. He hates scenes like this, especially since his friends once forced him to watch a horror movie which involved a woman like this. I know what this kind of woman was… I know the name. It's just at the tip of my tongue. Liana and I once studied on them on a school project…

"An oracle." Liana whispered.

"Ah, so you know what I am, young woman." the woman hissed. She sounded like a snake, almost.

"Do you seek your future, young child?" the woman sweetly said. Liana's face hardened and shook her head. She's smart enough to not accept offers from strangers. The oracle pursed her lips.

"Oh you don't? You are a smart woman. You are filled with knowledge, knowledge that may be even worthy and priceless to the most _powerful_ of gods. To think, that you are nearly a true wise woman, the only one in the world, and to be that woman, all you need to know is your future?" she said. Liana seemed to falter for a second, but she kept strong.

"I will let the keepers of the universe decide my fate, thank you very much." Liana snapped. The oracle chuckled. The smell of incense became more intoxicating.

"Oh, ho, ho. But what if the keepers of the universe did _not _care for you? Despised you and your family? Loathed your loyal companions? They think of you as idiotic. Imbecile-like. _Stupid_." That's when Liana lost it.

"I AM NOT!" she screamed.

"You are a fool. Your knowledge has started to flow out of you. I was mistaken. You are beginning to become a low, shallow, _foolish _woman. Now come to me, and you shall retrieve that precious knowledge of yours." The woman gently offered. Liana's voice crackled.

"No."

"So you do not want to become a powerful, wise, most loved queen of all? To be in such a high position of power?" the oracle asked.

"Some say power corrupts people and turns them into heartless monsters." Liana answered.

"But you, you are smart. You know your limits, and slowly, very slowly, you will become limitless. You know how to control yourself. Now come to me, if you want to be that queen. Come to me." The woman whispered. She had finally shown her face. She had tanned skin and long dark hair. Her face was flawless. A Mediterranean beauty, some would say. Plain gorgeous, some would say.

But… Her eyes. They were pure gold. No pupils, no iris. For some reason, her face kept on changing features, but the gold eyes remained.

"Come forward. Come forward." The oracle whispered. Liana lost. She took a step, and slowly, she was inside the circle.

"Come forward," the oracle said to us "I can only do this when you are in the circle. Your spirits will assist in the telling. Also, you will benefit from this, as I can also show you your futures." Randal walked over to the circle.

"Well. It might be fun." Randal said. Krystal looked uneasy and I were too, but we both stepped in. The oracle suddenly cackled a maniacal laugh.

I dropped down on my knees. That witch. She has caused us pain.

"Fools! Your own family member has caused your downfall. You will slowly decay, and not get out alive." She chuckled. She stood, and suddenly, she was not a healthy mid-twenties woman. She was a zombie. She was dead. A spirit that manifested into a physical entity. She began to chant as my mind was being fed with evil thoughts.

"Help!" I wailed, blocking my ears. I could hear screeching and scratches, like that horrible sound when you rub your fork against a plate, or scratch your nails on a chalkboard.

Laughter. Everyone was laughing at me. All the people. Laughing at my ridiculousness and failure. Krystal was even hollering with laughter.

"Stop! Please! Stop! Stop laughing at me! STOP LAUGHING AT ME!" I screamed. I held my hands to my ears even harder, wanting the torture to stop. The oracle laughed.

"That was an excellent warm-up!" she said gleefully. The hallucination shifted.

I was now falling. Falling in a dark endless abyss. It was like falling down Tartarus. Tears start to fall down my face. I can't get out. I can't get out. I start to whimper. I'm going to fall here forever, whether I like it or not. I was falling in the abyss for a long time.

SPLASH!

I crashed in water. Ice cold water. I screamed as it starts chilling me to the bone. I tried to keep afloat, but something was dragging me down, as if there was a weight chained to my leg. The water began to freeze above, leaving no possible escape. I flail. I wanted to scream so badly, but I would've drowned, and I can't bear to lose my precious air supply. My lungs start to burn as I fight the temptation to breathe. I was sinking! I was sinking! My eyes stung from the cold water. I frantically swim to the surface of the water, but I just can't. I was drowning. I risked a breath underwater as the frigid water filled my lungs.

I hear the evil laughter again. The oracle.

"Two fears at a time! Perfect! Perfect!" she said. The hallucination shifted.

I was now sitting in a dark room. I was dry, as if the whole sinking-scenario hadn't happened at all. A ridiculous laugh rang from the other side of the room.

"Ahihihihihhi! Who's ready for some _fun_?" someone said.

"Bobo, be quiet. We might frighten the girl." A little girl said. I suddenly start to feel cold.

A clown and a doll appeared before me, in tattered clothes, and covered with blood. I let out a blood-curdling scream, trying to get away from them, but I was overpowered. The clown and doll started to smile.

"We won't hurt you." They said in unison. I screamed and flailed again. More laughter from the oracle. The scene shifted.

The freaks were gone. But there were more of them. More of my fears.

But this one had insects.

Caterpillars and grubs start to crawl over me. Bees swarm around me. I desperately try to flick them off, but they stay on. Bugs start to hop around as I was surrounded with insects. I scream, but that was one of my mistakes. Spiders start to crawl down my throat as if this was pure delight. I scream some more. That feeling. I screamed again. I still wouldn't die. The oracle had noticed that I would rather die in the hallucinations rather have the feeling last forever. More laughter.

I was now in a wooden treehouse. It was a serene night. I pant, my hair damp with sweat. I sit down, trying to relax. But who could in a situation like this? I knew I shouldn't rest since this was meant to be horrible.

Of course.

Smoke started to come through the treehouse. Flames. Flames were surrounding the tree. The smell of smoke and burnt wood was horrible. I crouch down, coughing as I scramble for the exit, but the fire blocked my only possible escape route. The whole tree was on fire. I can't get out. I start to sob as the smoke suffocated me and the blazes burnt my flesh away. More laughter.

I was still healthy, and I was in a vast white plain. Suddenly, Amethyst appeared, with a frown on her face.

"Seriously, Popgum. You need to be more mature. A friend too immature is no friend of mine." She hissed before turning her back.

"Ame?" I whispered. My eyes start to water. Lucy appeared.

"You're far too stupid. What makes you to have so many friends?" she asked, before fading away.

"Wait…" I said. I start to whimper and shake. Echo suddenly appeared. She had a stern face.

"You're practically useless. You can go away now. We don't need you." She simply said. I bite my lip as tears start to stream down my face. All my friends came in, turning their backs on me. Whateva appeared.

"You were never my friend." She said, giving me a good kick in the abdomen. I continue to cry. I've become what I don't want to be. A friendless loser.

Suddenly, the hallucination vanished. I was back in the oracle's room. My stomach still hurts, and I was still crying. Krystal was sobbing, Liana was positively traumatised and even though Randal was curled into a ball, I feel him crying manly tears. The oracle chuckled.

"If only I could torture you some more, I would've," the oracle sadly said "But I must go. That was enough horror to terrorize your minds for quite a lengthy time, and if it did, you can all be scarred for life. From dust we came, to dust we return." The oracle restored herself into her youthful form, and slowly, she perished and returned to the afterlife.

We all stopped being miserable, though the horror still lingers. In front of the stool were weaponry. Echo's rifle, my bow, Randal's shotgun, Liana's blowpipe and darts, Amy's knuckle gloves and Krystal's throwing knives. Randal was still curled into a ball.

"Oh man, I'll never get a girlfriend." He moaned.

oOo

We all returned to the Door Room. We were still panting from the experience with the oracle. I'm positive that one of Liana's hallucinations were failing a major exam.

"Which door?" Krystal asked.

"The nice looking one. Hopefully it has a feast room. Or maybe less mentally horrifying." I answered.

It makes me think that what the oracle said and the hallucinations she sent could be true. I'm possibly scarred for life. Maybe I could never trust my friends again.

**A/N: Horrible chapter. I know.**

…**So, you gonna use those vouchers yet?**


	7. Broken Mirrors and Shattered Glass

_Broken Mirrors and Shattered Glass  
>By Echos In My Head<em>

Idiots. All of them. Even the genii. Complete and total idiots.

Whose brilliant idea was it for everyone to run in every direction, screaming like lunatics? That isn't how this shit works! We figure out which ways to go, who goes where, how long to be gone for and a way to find each other again.

I sigh. Since when have we ever done things the right way? Why am I even surprised?

I'm pulled along by someone, and in all this chaos I have no idea who. I'm not even looking in their direction. Nope, I'll just look at the walls. The blank, empty, grey walls. The occasional person. Idiot. I'm not in a good mood right now. Come back later with a cinnamon roll. Breakdancing on the freeway. Twelve vials of rosy liquid that makes the drinker sing show tunes.

"Echo?"

"Hm?"

"You're spacing out again."

"I'm perfectly aware of that."

Fire groans and lets go of my arm. I guess she was the one to lead me away from the cluster of TOTAL IDIOTS!

They're talking in front of me. Shadow and Fire. By the face Fire's making, probably about me. I don't know, I stopped listening. Like I said, I'm in a really bad mood. Somehow I know that our special version of "splitting up" is going to end up just as productive as getting an Angelpuss to fill in for you in Gym Class. Why even bother?

Geez I'm pessimistic.

No, I'm realistic.

I'm fighting with myself again...

I really don't care.

I know I don't.

Back to where I am right now – wherever that may be – Will has joined our little party. She doesn't say anything and stands next to me, refusing to look in my face.

"We should go," Fire suggests, and we're not really in a position to argue. Everyone else looks like they've got their own little groups formed and are disappearing behind doorways left and right. We probably should have kept some of the murderers with us, but it's too late for that now. Let's just hope that they don't kill each other with a toothpick they found on the ground or something.

I lead the way, since I'm that sort of person, and the others know better than to question me. Well, Fire and Shadow follow me. Will stays at my side, still silent and glaring at the floor. I'm guessing that it has to do with her sudden change to conforming to logic. She's probably scared and confused.

I sigh, trying to get out of my habit of focusing on my problems and my problems alone. Nothing good can come out of me acting like an angry brat.

"What are we looking for?" Shadow asks as I bypass yet another five doors.

"Stairs."

"Why-"

"Because Echo likes stairs," Fire answers.

"Damn right I do."

Yes, it's because I like stairs, but it's also because I think something of value could be found if we go higher up or lower down.

As we turn a corner, I can see Fire and Shadow keeping their eyes peeled for a staircase. Will is still looking at the floor. We're all so silent that the only thing we can hear is the sound of our footsteps and our breathing. Not even a floorboard creaks.

"There," Fire breathes, pointing at a door with a green sign at the top. The sign shows a stick figure man walking up a flight of stairs.

"Nice one," I say, and we all head in its direction. Opening the door and letting it swing to the side, there is indeed a staircase leading up and down.

"Which way?" Shadow wonders.

"Up," Will says lowly. It's her first word since this experience began, so we let her have her way.

We take the stairs upward one at a time. Not even these dare to creak under our weight. I suppose Will had a good point when she chose going upstairs. In these dark, windowless passageways, going up provides more of a chance of finding an escape route.

The stairs go up one floor and stop dead at another door. I tug it open, but instead of seeing a roof or an exit, I see...

"More doors," Fire groans.

"One of these has to be an exit," Shadow says.

"And what if they aren't?" Fire shoots back.

"They had to get us in here somehow," I point out. Luckily for us, there are one hell of a lot less doors up here than down there. This should make our job easier.

Will stays stubbornly at my side as we all look around at the doors. We bypass the door that has claw marks all over it, jump over the puddles forming under one door, and look all around, but none of them suggest the idea of an exit.

"Should we just try opening them?" Shadow asks.

"We can try."

Fire goes over to doors and opens them just a crack, peeking in cautiously. Shadow fidgets nervously with a doorknob before looking inside. Will stands by me.

I decide to start at the other side of the hall, by the door leading to the stairs, and work my way forward to the others. Will follows quietly, like a ghost.

I stop in front of the first door. High, thin, made of smooth reddish wood with an iron handle instead of a doorknob. There's a shiny plaque made of silver material that read: _The purity of the soul lights up a room. All else darkens and confuses the mind. Look at yourself, look inside yourself, find the answers you need._

Will steps back. "I don't want to go in there," she tells me. "Go if you want to."

I look back at the plaque, tracing the letters with my right index finger. Even though it says that it will provide me with answers, I don't think I should go in. It mentions purity of the soul, and in many ways mine is not pure at all.

"Go in." Will's voice sounds sterner and darker, like she's commanding me to go in. I don't know why, but instead of turning around and finding out what's up with her, I'm obeying like a puppet. My hand shoots out and tugs on the handle, and I let myself inside, closing the door behind me.

It's pitch black. Nothing lights this room. I knew that I wasn't meant to go inside. So why did I?

Feeling disappointed for whatever reason, I step forward, and things come into light. Just a little glow, reaching a few centimetres in front of me. I move again, and more light comes. I do a Hanso and flail my arms wildly, and it actually accomplishes something by lighting up this strange room.

Behind me is the door to leave. In front of me is a mirror.

But the light starts fading when I stop moving, so I keep waving my arms about, looking at this mirror. Naturally, it shows me flapping my arms like a deranged pigeon. There's really nothing to see here.

_"The purity of a soul lights up a room."_

The voice comes out of nowhere and I jump in surprise. My reflection, however, keeps moving her arms about. She speaks again. _"All else darkens and confuses the mind."_

That's it, I've officially jumped abord the Crazy Train and taken it all the way down to Loonyville.

My reflection stops moving and puts one hand on the glass. _"Look at yourself,"_ she says quietly, and I do. _"Look inside yourself, find the answers you need." _

I walk to the mirror and put my hand on the glass, right where my reflection put hers, and everything goes black.

oOo

The lights come back on, and I'm in a white room. There's nothing here at all, just me in the middle of nothing, but I feel no fear. I feel no anger. I feel calm.

I move, and I hear music. When I stop, it stops as well. I take a step, and it starts up again. It sounds so familiar, but it's no song I've heard before.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I know it's my soul singing to me.

I start to dance. I revolve slowly on the floor, moving my arms side to side slowly like I have a pair of lighters in my hands. I tilt my head back and close my eyes. Without my sight, the sounds grow louder and the music flows more smoothly.

It picks up speed and I open my eyes. My dancing becomes more erratic, becomes faster. I move from side to side, forward and backward, all around. I spin, treating my hands like blades as they slice through the air. I've never danced with such grace before.

The music becomes more intense, like the stronger parts of my soul are condensing themselves into one of the most amazing tunes I've ever heard in my life. Nothing seems wrong or strange. It's just me, dancing alone, and part of me never wants to stop.

Something cool forms on my arms, and I delicately raise one to my eye level. Tendrils of ivy are growing on me, winding around me and growing up and down my arms, legs and torso. Streams of the dark green plant follow my movement as I keep swaying to the music. A vine grows around my neck, snug but not able to choke me. It wraps around my forehead, and some leaves fan out around my face.

Nothing seems strange. Nothing is wrong. Nothing ever can be wrong. I'm not happy and I'm not sad. I feel empty, but it's not such a bad feeling. It's like I gave up my soul to create this sound.

I feel a warm gust of air against my left ear. _"Is this what you want?"_ a woman's voice asks me, even though I'm all alone. I spin and try to forget it.

_"Is this what you want?"_ A man's voice this time, warm against my right ear, but still, I'm alone.

Suddenly, at the same time. _"Is this what you want?"_

What do I want?

Feelings come back to me slowly, melting away the numbness, and I let myself get carried away by the music, dancing without thinking and hearing two people I've never met and cannot see ask me what I want. It feels totally normal.

The ivy is wrapped around me in a strange hug. The white room is coloured by the sound of my soul being ripped apart and turning into a melody.

What do I want?

There's the sensation of rain on my forehead. The smell of apple crumble being baked slowly. I can taste honey, and then garlic. The music slows down again, as does my movement. I close my eyes again.

No fatigue. No dizziness. The white tiles against my foot feel like I'm dancing on air.

What do I want?

_"What do you want?"_

I open my eyes, and suddenly I'm back in the room with the mirror. My reflection is me, covered in ivy and dancing with her eyes closed. Her face is blank and neutral, her movements graceful and beautiful.

I don't hear music anymore. I don't feel empty anymore, but I feel like my soul was ripped out and was put back in pieces like an unsolved jigsaw puzzle tossed back into its box. I feel broken and angry and confused.

My reflection opens her eyes and looks at me again. I feel a stab of fear. I want her to go away. I'm not sure why, but I never want to see her again. She looks at me with empty eyes and beckons me to her. "No," I tell her. She beckons more urgently. "No!" I yell back.

I'm completely unarmed, there's nothing in this room, but I want to destroy that mirror. I still feel like it took something from me.

The iron handle to the door is loose. I tug at it a few times and free it from the wood, and without hesitating I throw it at the mirror. The glass shatters into thousands of shards, which was more than I expected to happen. I hear loud screams, sobbing, laughter. Bright coloured lights stream out all around me, surrounding me and trapping me. As the pieces of mirror cascade to the floor, I run away, pushing on the door and escaping.

Outside, Shadow, Fire and Will are all waiting. "You've been in there a while," Will tells me. "What happened?"

I can't bring myself to tell them anything. I just shake my head.

"There's no way out up here," Shadow tells me, "but we did find a few other things while you were in there."

Fire proudly shows me a small bag of weapons, though none of them are mine. I congratulate them and suggest leaving right then and there. We need to get those weapons back to the others, but more than ever I just want to get away from that mirror.

The one that read my soul, translated it, made me question everything I was sure of, and broke me inside.


	8. Loneliness is Yellow

_Loneliness is Yellow  
>By Amethyst3232<em>

"Ame!" Puddles runs towards me, a grin spread across her little blue face. This can't be good. "I've found something interesting!"

"Good for you." I try my best to walk around her, but that's easier said than done. The little minx blocks my way. "Look, Puddles, can you please move."

"Only if you promise to come see this epic thing I've discovered."

I fold my arms and smirk. "And what if I refuse?"

"I know where Jacques is."

"Yeah, so, show me this discovery of yours then." I say hurriedly.

She grins and walks off, and I follow grudgingly. Just remember, Ame. This is better than Ameques, this is better than Ameques.

How the fudge do you even pronounce Ameques? Ah-mee-cyooz? Ah-mee-eeks? Ah-meks? Ahh-mee-mahks?

"Here it is!" Puddles announces proudly, cutting my incredibly intellectual inner discussion with myself short.

"Congratulations, hon," I say sarcastically. "You've found a door." I gesture around. "In case you haven't realised, there are a lot of those here."

"Ha ha, very funny." She teases. "No, I've actually found something. It's behind this door."

I raise an eyebrow. "Is it dangerous?"

"…No…"

"Will it eat me?"

"Probably not."

"On a scale of one to ten, how likely is it to kill me?"

"Eleven."

"Fantastic." I say sarcastically. "And it's not like I have any weapons. Except for my teeth. I will have to bite it to death if it attacks me."

Puddles grins. "Make sure to record that; I'd wanna watch it."

She opens the door and I trudge inside, muttering about how annoying she is, and please, how did I end up friends with her?

She shuts the door behind me. I have an inkling that she's holding the handle so that I can't turn it an escape. To make sure, I turn to the door and grip the brass knob, trying to turn it. It doesn't budge.

"How the sandwich did I even make friends with you?" I mutter under my breath, all too aware that she can't hear me. Grumpily, I turn and slump my back against the door, raising my hand so that I can 'inspect' my nails.

They could do with another coat of nail varnish, whenever we get out of this place. Maybe black, this time, rather than this blood red colour. The red takes too long to dry, and I got bored, hence the uneven coat and the chips here and there.

The room is actually pretty quiet. After about a minute of utterly nothing, I look up to inspect this place. I was expecting a big, scary monster and, damn that, I'm going to find one!

"Hello?" I call, feeling pretty stupid. I seem to be standing in a very yellow bedroom; yellow carpet, bedspread, curtains- even a yellow budgie sits in a cage in the corner, watching me inquisitively.

The lights turn off, just for a moment. When they flicker back on, I'm standing on a beach. The place is completely deserted, safe for the sand and the waves lapping at the shore line.

I take a step towards the ocean, and the lights turn off again. When they sputter back on, I'm on the battlements of a castle. I look over the edge, and it feels like I'm at least a hundred feet up. Below, I see the sunlight glinting off the water of a moat, the drawbridge raised, but no guards. My eyes trail around the rest of the world below from my vantage point. There's not a living soul. Plenty of dead ones, though.

They litter the ground below, on the other side of the moat, their green cloaks and their silver armour alike stained with the red of blood, their catapults left abandoned and unmanned. They must've attempted some sort of siege. Attempted, yet failed miserably.

Whilst I'm trying to figure out how a castle with no guards can wipe out so many men (I come to the conclusion that the knights must be hidden inside), the world goes dark again.

The lights, once again, glitter back to life. This time, I'm standing on a cliff top. Beneath me is the beach from before, still echoingly empty. Looking over my shoulder, I spot what must be the castle. It looks a lot bigger from down here. I busy myself with nudging lumps of chalk off the edge of the cliff. Before the clump hits the sand below, the world darkens once more.

The lights splutter back on again, and I'm back in the yellow room. The budgie looks at me and tilts its head curiously.

"Have you learnt something, Amethyst?" It asks. Something in the back of my mind tells me that this is weird, but, considering the sort of things that seem to happen here, a talking bird seems kind of normal.

"Yes, actually." I reply, smiling brightly. "Never trust a budgie. Especially a yellow one."

Its eyes widen. "You were supposed to learn Mankind's greatest weakness!" It insists. "You're supposed to be terrified!"

"Listen, Budgie," I address it, unsure of what else to call it. "I like my alone time. Sticking me on a beach was perfect, and an empty one, even more so. And as for the castle," I can feel myself starting to grin like a maniac. "If there's anywhere, besides my own house, where I'm likely to feel at home, it's an old castle."

I leave Budgie sitting, confused, in the yellow room. Puddles is no longer holding the handle and the door swings open easily.

I stride out, shutting the door behind me, and turn towards her.

"You're very quiet for someone who's just been shown Mankind's greatest fear." She notices.

"I went to a castle!" I practically squeal.

She rolls her eyes. "Of course."


	9. A Game of Tag

**A/N: First of all, a note. I dread starting this off with a sad note, and most of you guys know, but our beloved Whateva Kaeria has left the Archive. She just left. But she is still alive and kicking monster butt! She now roleplays. Farewell, dear friend!**

**The roster will stay the same, but now there will be only three of us. She and her pets will still be featured in the story.**

**Also, this is not a quality chapter. I quickly typed it up so SLM could get a little update.**

**For Happy News:**

**I went to the Philippines for the Summer! At my grandparents' house! Where there was no wi-fi, and now there is! I spent my time swimming and visiting places! We went to Singapore! To Universal Studios! I chickened out and didn't go on the Battleship Galactica! I went on the Mummy's Revenge! It was goshdarn scary! Now I'm back in the Philippines!**

**Anyway, let's end this author note and begin the chapter!**

_A Game of Tag  
>By Popgum99<em>

"Does anyone have any water?" Amy asked as we stood there, hunched over, panting and as pale as raw chicken skin. The door room wasn't air conditioned, but it was pleasantly cool.

"_Anyone?_"Amy wailed. "C'mon, there's probably a water room somewhere! With cool fresh water!"

"Be careful what you wish for. We may find a water room, but it may easily become a flood room. And it may be saltwater." Eli hollowly said, wiping the sweat off her forehead.

"Something to eat would be nice." Randal groaned.

"Yeah, you could eat the doors." Krystal grumbled.

"The one on the ceiling looks delicious." He sarcastically replied.

"Well, we can't stand here doing nothing." I said, cutting off the rest of the conversation about doors. I can't ignore the fact that my stomach is rumbling though. A bag of supreme cheese Doritos or a barbecue stick would be awesome. Eli sighed.

"Fine. Let's go to a door. Maybe free food is there." She sighed. She walked forward and sharply turned to the right, stopping at a metal door. We followed.

It was made with cool grey metal, and had no knob. Instead, it had a lightning-like cut from the top left corner to the bottom right corner. It was much like an elevator. On the side was a small machine with a small screen and white, red, blue and green buttons. Like a…

"Code." Krystal flatly said, as she walked up to the machine that was stuck on the wall. She scrutinized it and nodded, showing her approval that it is a machine used to gain entry into the room.

"We don't know the code. Let's go." Amy said, walking to another door.

"I'm pretty sure the code is here somewhere." I said, grabbing her shoulder and pulling her back.

"Let's look around." Eli said. I could imagine that she doesn't want to let go of this door just yet.

We all walked around the door room, scavenging for signs that could be related to the coloured buttons. I looked closely at the doors, scanning for markings. I could tell that Krystal was also scrutinizing the doors very closely. Randal flew around, high near the ceiling. Eli was still near the metal door, trying to figure out the code. Amy looked on the walls and the floor. Maybe there could be some sort of secret underground hatch which shows the passcode. I don't know.

"Find anything?" I asked Krystal. She shook her head.

"Zilch." She replied in a dull tone. I turned around to see Amy walking to Eli, assisting in the codecracking.

"I think I found something!" Randal called out.

"What?" Eli shouted, as we all came running towards her (or in Randal's case, descending).

"It was about the doors' themselves. When I was up high, with a view, I saw these white, red, blue and green doors. The red door was on the wall to the left of the metal door, the white door on the wall opposite of where we are, on the left side, the green door was on the right side of that wall, and the blue one was on the opposite wall of the one with the red door." Randal stated his observations, complete with hand gestures.

"You're suggesting what?" Eli asked, her eyes giving a sceptical look.

"Maybe, from left to right or right to left, that's the passcode. I mean, the doors are the same shade as the buttons." Randal concluded. Eli shrugged.

"It might work. If Randal _is _right- and I highly doubt that- I'm betting my money that the order is from left to right." Amy said.

"Well? Let's give it a go." Krystal said. Eli punched in the buttons, as a red square appeared on the small screen, then a white one, a green one, and lastly, a blue square. The screen froze on the squares for a second as we bit our lip, hoping for success.

_Beep. Beep._

The machine made a beeping noise, with a big fat lime green 'ACCESS PROVIDED' scrawled across the screen. We all shouted in triumph as the elevator-like doors slowly opened. We lined up in single file and entered the room. The elevator doors shut.

It was a small round room. Dark, and dimly lit. The wall was smooth and cold, and I'm guessing the floor was too. Next to the door was the same machine, with the same buttons, most likely for exit. In the middle, was a big chest with wheels attached to the bottom and a handle, so it looked like a pirate's luggage bag.

"That was it?" Eli said, slowly walking to the chest, but she pauses.

"Maybe the code was the challenge." Randal said.

"Doubt it. That was too easy." Amy replied.

"The chest probably has the weapons, so why can't we just get it?" Krystal said. Randal nodded, and flew straight for the chest.

Except it vanished on the spot…

And appeared next to the wall!

"_Owwww!_" Randal shouted, rubbing his head. We all run over to him as I lend him a hand so he could stand up.

"Are you okay?" Krystal asked, patting his back. Randal winced. Eli frowned and made a 'hmm' sound, looking in the direction of the chest.

"See? You shouldn't do nosedives all the time." Amy said. After Randal had recovered, Eli announced a plan.

"We all try to capture the chest, but we spread out around the room. We don't move out of our section. Randal could stay in the air and dive for the chest." Eli said. Randal numbly nodded.

"Sounds good." He fluttered his wings and floated in the air as we all went to our positions.

Silence.

Amy dived in for the chest, but missed, hitting her head. It came for me, as I lunged for it, it vanished. Krystal tried, but with no avail. Eli fell over. Randal missed when he nosedived, and it was back with Amy. This went on for a few times. Eli yelled in frustration.

"_WHY DO WE MISS?_" She screamed.

"Maybe we just need assistance." I said. I walked to the door and pressed in the code. The doors opened.

I exited the room and into the light, and I grin, as a group of people I knew very well exited a door.

We can get our weapons back and get the hell out of there.

Help is near.


End file.
